How can I get my website higher in the search results?

I often get clients and potential clients who already have a website ask me "How can I get my website higher in the search engines like Google?"

Unfortunately, the answer is not so straightforward, but here is how I normally reply...

*(Note that because I mainly do websites for small businesses, this information is mostly aimed at local service business websites)

Search engine ranking results are subject to many variables and the algorithms used by search engines to assess websites. Google in particular is extremely complex and even the best SEO experts in the World cannot 100% guarantee results for top of the page (the ideal position) unless there was very little competition.

 

It’s a bit of a lottery really, but the chances of getting good results depend on a few key factors.

 

i.e.

Keyworded meta tags (optimised page titles and descriptions) – important

Keyworded domain name (helpful but not essential)

Optimised image tags
Optimised headings and sub headings <h1> <h2>

Mobile friendly or not mobile friendly (becoming more important)
Good quality inbound links (from related sites and top business directories)
Amount of traffic to your site (traffic generated from social media pages is now becoming more important)

Age of website

Speed that your website loads up

Amount of competing websites and how well optimised they compare to yours

The plain fact is, the more pages your website has, the more chances it has of getting a listing for the search keywords that each individual page of your website is optimised for.

 

Obviously, if your budget is limited, and lets say that 3 pages is the maximum, then those 3 pages have to be optimised for the best 3 keyword phrases you want your site to be found for. The best keyword phrases though are usually the most competitive.

 

Search engine rankings is now a very competitive business. But as well as search results I would recommend using other forms of advertising to get people to your website, i.e. business cards, leaflets, vehicle signage, social media, business directory links etc.